Journal
PATHOGENS
Volume 10, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10030357
Keywords
epidemic polyarthritis; one health; mosquito-borne disease; zoonosis; climate change; arbovirus; equine; infectious disease; alphavirus
Categories
Funding
- UQ Research Training Scholarship
Ask authors/readers for more resources
RRV infection is the most common arboviral disease in humans in Australia, with no approved therapeutics or vaccines currently available. Establishing an equine model may aid in better understanding the pathogenesis and immunology of RRV disease.
Ross River virus (RRV) has recently been suggested to be a potential emerging infectious disease worldwide. RRV infection remains the most common human arboviral disease in Australia, with a yearly estimated economic cost of $4.3 billion. Infection in humans and horses can cause chronic, long-term debilitating arthritogenic illnesses. However, current knowledge of immunopathogenesis remains to be elucidated and is mainly inferred from a murine model that only partially resembles clinical signs and pathology in human and horses. The epidemiology of RRV transmission is complex and multifactorial and is further complicated by climate change, making predictive models difficult to design. Establishing an equine model for RRV may allow better characterization of RRV disease pathogenesis and immunology in humans and horses, and could potentially be used for other infectious diseases. While there are no approved therapeutics or registered vaccines to treat or prevent RRV infection, clinical trials of various potential drugs and vaccines are currently underway. In the future, the RRV disease dynamic is likely to shift into temperate areas of Australia with longer active months of infection. Here, we (1) review the current knowledge of RRV infection, epidemiology, diagnostics, and therapeutics in both humans and horses; (2) identify and discuss major research gaps that warrant further research.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available